Wal-Mart coming to Chicago Lakeview neighborhood

The floodgates have been opened and now Lakeview East might be getting a Wal-Mart store.

For the longest time Chicago was like New York and didn't allow Wal-Mart within their city limits. But with the food deserts in Chicago's poorer neighborhoods, it was time to let one in, which is now becoming a snowball effect. Better yet, a dangerous avalanche. 

Now citizens of Lakeview East are trying to stop it. There's even a Facebook group dedicated to blocking the Wal-Mart, which I'm a member of and they'll probably boot me after reading this. Why am I a member though? Because on principle I don't like Wal-Mart. I think they treat their  employees poorly and they tend to run other stores out of business.  I'd hate to see Threadless or The Alley leave this neighborhood because they can't compete with Wal-Mart. They're also anti-gay from what I understand reading through the posts on the page. Moving them into a primarily gay neighborhood doesn't make a lot of sense.

But that being said and after thinking about it, could it be a good thing for Lakeview East residents? The answer is: Maybe, but don't hold your breath. 

We already have a Best Buy, Borders, Jewel, Starbucks and multiple Walgreens. Let's face it, most of the mom and pop shops are gone when it comes to retail and grocery. It gives the people of Lakeview East another place to shop and maybe buy groceries, which depends on which Wal-Mart goes in. It actually supports the idea of capitalism and forces other stores to be competitive with their prices. I personally don't like the idea of having only Jewel, Aldi and Treasure Island to shop at. It's not the optimal situation, but we can't just say no to one company and let other large chains stay in. I worry about used stores like Reckless Records and Hollywood Mirror going out of business though. That's a concern most people should have. Because why buy it used when you can just as easily buy it new at about the same price.  

It will also bring in jobs. Granted, as I stated before, Wal-Mart as a corporation doesn't treat their employees with the respect they deserve. That not withstanding, it will create jobs in a time when jobs are desperately needed. We have to get the economy back on track somehow and if inviting a large corporation in with the means to hire dozens of employees then so be it, I guess. 

Let's face it, we're a nation of franchises. I've named about a half a dozen franchises also in Lakeview East. I'm not thrilled about having a Wal-Mart in my neighborhood either, but we have to look at the benefits it could have, albeit very iffy benefits at best. Yes, it's a bully corporation for other stores and the employees, but you don't have to shop there. 

If you don't like it, don't give them your business. Shop local, if you can find local shops to still patronize.